How long is one full 1-3-2-3 cycle?

Nine days. The pattern is one day on, three days off, two days on, three days off. After day nine, the same sequence starts again.

Does the 1-3-2-3 schedule land on the same weekday each cycle?

No. A 1-3-2-3 cycle is nine days, while a week is seven days. The workdays drift across weekdays instead of repeating neatly every week.

How many days do you actually work in this rotation?

You work three days in every nine-day cycle. A typical month lands around ten shifts, but the exact number depends on the start date and how the rotation crosses month boundaries.

Can I set this up in Google Calendar?

Yes. Create the work events for one full nine-day cycle, then set each workday event to repeat every nine days. That preserves the one-on, three-off, two-on, three-off pattern.

1-3-2-3 Firefighter Schedule Calendar: Rotation Example and Setup

Quick answer: the 1-3-2-3 firefighter schedule is a nine-day rotation: work 1 day, off 3 days, work 2 days, off 3 days, then repeat. To build it in a calendar, create work events on days 1, 5, and 6 of the cycle, then set each one to repeat every 9 days.

This pattern is easier to live than to remember because it does not line up with a normal seven-day week.

Last reviewed on June 4, 2026.

What 1-3-2-3 means

The numbers describe the rhythm of work and off days:

Cycle day	Status
Day 1	Work
Day 2	Off
Day 3	Off
Day 4	Off
Day 5	Work
Day 6	Work
Day 7	Off
Day 8	Off
Day 9	Off
Day 10	Work again, same as day 1

That gives you three workdays and six off days in each nine-day cycle. Your department may define the actual shift start time differently, so use your real report and relief time when you build the calendar.

If you are comparing rotations, the 24/72 firefighter schedule calendar is simpler because it repeats every four days. The 1-3-2-3 pattern needs a little more care because there are two separate work blocks inside one cycle.

Why the rotation drifts

A week has seven days. This cycle has nine. That means the schedule slides across weekdays instead of landing on the same weekday every week.

That drift is normal. It is also why a wall calendar or phone calendar is better than mental counting. “Am I on this Saturday?” should not require rebuilding the cycle from memory while someone waits for an answer.

Build the calendar manually

Start with an anchor date. This must be a date you know is day 1 of your 1-3-2-3 cycle. If the anchor is wrong, every future event will be wrong.

Create a shift event on day 1. Use your actual shift time, such as 7 a.m. to 7 a.m. the next day, or mark it as a full-day block if that is easier for your planning.

Create another shift event on day 5.

Create another shift event on day 6.

Set each of those three events to repeat every 9 days.

Use one clear color for the base rotation. If your app supports separate calendars, create a dedicated shift calendar so the schedule can be shared, printed, hidden, or exported without affecting everything else.

Google Calendar setup

In Google Calendar, create the day 1 shift event first.

Open recurrence, choose a custom repeat, and set it to repeat every 9 days. Save it.

Move to day 5 of the same cycle, create the second work event, and set it to repeat every 9 days.

Move to day 6, create the third work event, and set it to repeat every 9 days.

Then check a future date you already know. If the calendar lines up with your real schedule, the setup is correct. If it is off, fix the anchor before trusting the series.

Printable version

For a printable 1-3-2-3 calendar, create the repeating events in a digital calendar first, switch to month view, and print several months at a time.

You can also mark it by hand:

Pick a known day 1.
Mark day 1 as work.
Leave days 2, 3, and 4 blank or marked off.
Mark days 5 and 6 as work.
Leave days 7, 8, and 9 off.
Repeat the sequence across the month.

Print at least a quarter at once. This avoids the month-boundary mistake where the pattern restarts visually on the first of the month even though the real rotation does not.

When a calendar app cannot express the pattern cleanly

Most major calendar apps can handle “repeat every 9 days” for each work event. If your app cannot, use a shift-calendar tool that supports custom patterns, generate the schedule, and then export or subscribe to it if the tool provides an ICS feed.

This is also useful if you want a department view with multiple shifts, not just your own schedule.

Trades, overtime, and extra shifts

Keep the base rotation clean. When you trade a shift, edit only that one event occurrence. Do not edit the whole repeating series unless the actual rotation changed.

Use separate colors or event titles for:

Base 1-3-2-3 shift
Trade
Overtime
Callback
Training
Kelly or debit day, if your department uses one

That way your family, crew, or future self can tell the difference between the normal rotation and a one-off change.

Common setup mistakes

Mistake	Result	Fix
Repeating weekly	The calendar breaks immediately	Repeat every 9 days.
Only creating day 1	The two-day work block is missing	Add repeating events on days 5 and 6 too.
Restarting at the first of each month	Month views look neat but wrong	Continue the nine-day sequence across month boundaries.
Editing all events for one trade	Future rotation gets distorted	Edit only that occurrence.
Using the wrong anchor date	Every generated shift is offset	Verify against a known future shift.

Where LifeLoad fits

The goal is not just knowing when you work. It is seeing how the rotation affects recovery, errands, family time, workouts, and sleep.

A 1-3-2-3 schedule can look generous because there are long off stretches. In practice, the work blocks still shape the days around them. Once the rotation is on your calendar, LifeLoad can help you reason about the load around it instead of just the shift labels.